Conservative Party Chairman Mike Long had spoken in favor of Wendy Long, a New York City attorney who’s in a Republican primary with U.S. Rep. Bob Turner and Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos. The Conservative line is considered vital to Republicans running for statewide office in New York. The two Longs aren’t related.

Wendy Long said her campaign would “bring people together on the issues that matter the most to New Yorkers, jobs and the economy.”

Gillibrand, a former upstate congresswoman, was picked in 2009 to replace Hillary Rodham Clinton, who became secretary of state. Gillibrand won election in 2010 to fill the remainder of the term, which ends this year.

Gillibrand’s favorable ratings have nudged up recently and she has raised more than $8 million in a state where Democrats have a two-to-one enrollment advantage over Republicans. The lesser-known candidates seeking to challenge her are expected to face an uphill battle.

Still, Republicans meeting Friday in Rochester for their convention claimed that Gillibrand remains vulnerable after three years in the Senate. Republican voters will choose among the three candidates in a June 26 primary vote.